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design in a bag

Overwhelmed by where to start on your kitchen or bath remodel? Design in a bag has various bags or ‘recipes’ of color and material groupings along with price and resource listings that takes the guesswork out of the equation.

Newsworthy Recycled Wallpaper

Newsprint strips are handwoven on a loom and backed with paper to create these eco-friendly wall coverings. Definitely a clever use of recycled materials. I think what really makes it is the use of larger strips of paper which reveal hints of the paper’s former life, and of course, the colors! Available through many retailers, find your nearest one at Weitzner’s official website.

Inspiration: Fitzroy Apartment

It’s not often that you see green done well as an overall color theme, but this room styled by Simon Carver has me hooked. The softness of hue is complemented by the black/white/natural accents and would be an excellent choice for a bedroom, as it seems to absorb just the right amount of light.

Michelle de la Vega’s Garage Home

Eskayel Wallpaper

Somehow I missed Eskayel’s initial appearance last year, but I’m sure glad I ran across their collection yesterday. It’s absolutely lovely. Images are taken from original paintings by artist Shanan Campanaro, which are then flipped and mirrored (a.k.a. ‘kaleidoscoped’) to create the wallpaper design. Rolls aren’t cheap, of course, but what do you expect of something so beautiful?

There’s a wide selection of designs to choose from, and custom orders are also accepted. If you’re not needing wallpaper, you might want to take a look at the pillows too, as they’re a much more affordable option. Also, DailyCandy has a quick video interview with Shanan Campanaro, if you’re interested.(more…)

Scenography Apartment

A change in color is part of what keeps things fresh. It’s a technique that designers in most fields use (you’ll see it at work everywhere from The Gap to IKEA) and it was the idea behind the color-changing lights in AA Studio’s Scenography Apartment. AA Studio is known for their contemporary, thought-out, and constructed interiors and the color-changing lights help to continually re-invent and re-define what could be an otherwise stark space.

Continue reading for shots of the apartment in its technicolor glory and for shots from IKEA’s new color campaign, because it’s so cool and makes so much sense.(more…)

Ecolect Sustainable Materials Resource

Ecolect is an online resource of building materials for designers, re-modelers, builders, or anyone interested in using sustainable products. Each material has an overall summary as well as how it’s made, how it’s used, and where to buy it. Keep this one bookmarked for your next project.

Vivienne Westwood Wallpaper

Fashion designer extraordinaire Vivienne Westwood is known for her punk and rock-influenced clothing (she has ties to the Sex Pistols, helped Sandra Bullock look like a million bucks, and was the designer of choice when Sex and the City’s Carrie almost married Big), but she also has a fancy line of wallpaper with Cole & Son. The collection features eye openers like an almost nine-foot-long Union Jack as well as prints inspired by some of her most iconic fashion collections, including 1981’s Pirate collection and 2007’s I am Expensiv collection (wallpaper seen above, second from the left).

OWI: American Outfitters

These two photos of a 70’s villa are uber-minimal/sparse, but the other shots show a quirky side. Refurbished by interior architects Renaud De Poorter and Femke Holdrinet, the home still has the bones of the original build, but the updates make it feel thoroughly modern and livable. It’s quite the showpiece.

Inspiration: Ranjana and Naeem Khan’s Soho loft

There’s quite a few fetching things about this living area in Ranjana and Naeem Khan’s Soho loft, the least of which is the (still) lovely Pouf Capitonne that we’ve featured before. Considering the super-wide/super-low green sofa and the many modern classics (see below), it’s sort of surprising to see the peach/rose undertones in the curtains and carpet. Talk about a color that most of us wouldn’t think of, peach is it. Just goes to prove that sometimes unlikely color combinations work well, so widen your color horizons the next time you’re considering updating a room.

Inspiration: Orange Office area

This isn’t the best quality picture, but it does serve to remind us that orange can be good… sometimes. Also, it’s worth noting that this under-the-stairs desk manages to pack a lot of work surface into an otherwise underused area.

Inspiration: Stair Materials

I’ve had these two images in my inspiration folder for a while now. The mirrored stairs shown on the left is from photographer Polly Wrenford’s portfolio, but I didn’t have much luck with referencing the one on the right. If you have info, please let me know.

Feld’s Kitchen

Well, this sort of idea for kitchen storage would certainly motivate you to keep your shelves tidy. The balance of industrial and natural materials (wood, marble, etc.) makes for a pleasing picture, I’m just wondering about those sliding panels. Would they get in the way, or just act as strategic screening for the untidy areas?